A man was shot dead on a broad daylight at Bhutaha Bazaar in Harinagar Rural Municipality-2, Sunsari, on Thursday.

Police said four motorcycle-borne gunmen shot dead Khursid Ansari, chairman of a local school management committee, at the town centre before fleeing to India.  

Eyewitnesses said the shooters had arrived in two motorcycles the bore Indian licence plates.

As the gunmen were fleeing to India, they also shot police Constable Shiva Poudel who had tried to stop them at Ghuksi Bazaar.

The injured constable was taken to Dharan for treatment.

Bhutaha Bazaar is situated 15 km north of Nepal-India border. There are three security checkpoints on the way that the four gunmen had passed without raising police suspicion.   

Bhutaha residents took to the street in the wake of the incident. They blamed lax security for the attack.

The protesters also burnt tyres on the road, demanding that police capture the attackers and bring them to justice.

Besides chairing the management committee of Rohiyan National Public School, Ansari was also the vice-chairman of Dawat-e-Islam, a Muslim social organisation, and a member of Nepal Communist Party.

Friends and family members suspect that there is a powerful force behind Ansari’s death, the one that did not like his growing influence in the community.

The Sunsari chapter of NCP condemned Ansari’s killing and demanded the authorities concerned to arrest the culprits and provide a suitable compensation to his family.